Heart
by JSparks
Summary: Thank you.


_With love, a thank you._

Eyes wide open. The wind blasting in her face. She soared higher and higher, the sun peeking through the clouds. She stretched her wings as far as they could go, loving the feeling of the air rushing through her feathers. She squinted in the bright light and smiled, this must be what freedom was. Not sure where she was going, she just knew she had to get there. She was so determined to reach her destination, she didn't notice that the clouds were beginning to darken. It was only a little at first, the edges of a few tinged with grey here and there.

The higher she flew, the deeper the clouds got. Darker and darker, purple and black bruised the sky. Thunder rumbled, softly, gently. Still, she flew on. Louder and louder it grew, like tidal waves crashing against the steepest cliffs. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pumped her wings harder, propelling herself deeper into the storm. She pictured the sun in her mind and smiled. It was all she could think about, that vision of perfection. She tried with all her might to block out her surroundings, all she needed was that sun!

And suddenly, lightning struck.

The shock coursed through her body. It was a pain she had never felt before. Before she knew it, she was falling. She flapped her broken wings uselessly, trying desperately to keep herself up. After a moment, she took a deep breath and just let herself fall.

The clouds covered the sun, all she could do was watch helplessly as she plummeted towards the earth.

The robin opened her eyes, she was laying twisted on the ground. She didn't think it was possible to hurt so much. Gathering all of her strength, she tried to lift her wing. Tears sprang to her eyes as all it would do was twitch. Rolling her head to one side, the robin noticed many of her feathers scattered along the ground. Her journey had started out so strong, SHE had been so strong. What was she, now?

Pieces of what she once was.

The robin heard a shuffle. She looked around, but her vision was blurred. She could tell by the movements around her that she was not alone. She blinked hard until she could see clearly. The robin recognized these faces, she had seen them so many times before. When she sang, they shouted at her. When she laughed, they threw rocks. But every time they tried, the robin would fly higher, laughing and singing even louder, the rocks sailing beneath her.

This time, the faces grinned. Their eyes widened as their smiles grew into laughter. Shrieking with excitement, they bent and each picked up a stone. Loading their arms with as may as they could hold, they began throwing them.

But it was not enough, they soon began to call out. More figures gathered, some collected their own stones and joined in, while others stood by silently. The robin shuddered as another rock beat into her side. The pain from the stones stung, but she did not care.

It was nothing compared to the lightning.

A figure cackled as it hurled a large stone straight towards the robin's face. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the blow. A few seconds passed, yet nothing happened. She opened her eyes cautiously, and what she saw filled her with warmth. Two beings stood before her, protecting her from the rocks. The crowd slowly lowered their arms as they cowered in shock. Luigi stood firmly, a scowl on his face. Normally so kind and gentle, but now he was determined. Determined to keep his friend safe. Next to him was Fox. Always the rational thinker, he was never one to get mixed up in the chaos. But here he was, shielding the robin.

Another small form tiptoed forward, gingerly lifting up the robin. Nana held her close to her heart and hummed sweetly.

The robin's own heart fluttered. It filled her with joy to see her friends around her. But soon, her feeling of happiness was replaced with disgust. The figures around them reared back their arms and began pelting her friends with stones. What had they done to deserve this? They had done nothing wrong, yet here they were, getting beaten with rocks. But still, they stood strong. The three raised their heads high as they turned and walked away.

Away from the hatred that lingered behind. Away from the cowards who hid behind masks. Away from the bored who would do anything for the slightest bit of entertainment. Away from the bitter who even the robin herself took pity on.

The three brought the robin into the mansion, Nana placed her carefully in shoe box full of fluff. It was so warm and peaceful, she felt she could stay there forever.

The robin fell into a good place. Her body still ached with pain, yet slowly, she was beginning to regain her strength. Her friends stayed by her side, always. Luigi intrigued her, he was fascinating. Each thing he said made the robin think. Think of joy, of soul, of creativity. Nana brought her close to tears. She was so genuine and kind, like a sister wanting only to care and to love. And as always, no matter the circumstances, Fox made her laugh.

The world grew dark, the three heroes shut the robin away to rest, never straying too far. As the robin lay in the darkness, she pondered her life. How had it gotten to be this way? How had she spiraled so out of control?

A fluttering sound broke the robin's thoughts. A young dove, so pure white it was almost pink, floated in through the window. The dove landed softly on the edge of the box where the robin lay. She gazed at the robin with large, sad eyes. She did not say a word, but she gently placed a single flower before the other bird. The dove blinked shyly and silently spread her wings and flew away. The robin smiled, she had never seen the dove before that night, but she knew it had picked that flower with love.

The robin slowly drifted off to sleep, sinking into blissful nothingness. Again, a noise brought her back to reality. A cat leaned against the windowsill, watching the robin. The feline slinked closer, pausing when the robin recoiled. The cat approached slowly and sat next to the box. At first, the bird was suspicious, for this cat was no stranger to her. This was the cat that liked to swat at the robin, this was the cat that the robin liked to peck. They couldn't seem to be in the same vicinity without trying to get a rise out of the other. But this time, the cat curled down and purred.

The robin took a ragged breath, she was not expecting this. A warmth spread over her as she let herself fall asleep.

When she awoke, she was again surrounded by her friends. The robin was surprised to find new faces gazing down at her. Zelda, she did no know the robin, but word had spread of what had happened. The princess laid her hands in her lap and smiled softly. The robin's heart swelled when she spotted Toon Link standing a few feet away. The young warrior held his sword high, challenging anyone who wanted to cause the robin harm.

A tear slipped down the her cheek, the robin couldn't believe the love she felt. She was impulsive, selfish, sarcastic, yet here they were.

* * *

><p>Over a month had passed since the robin fell. She remembered how broken she was, how broken she still was. But the scars were healing, her feathers had grown back, she was slowly returning to normal.<p>

A small group stood outside on a crisp autumn day. The leaves of the trees were turning shades of orange, red, and gold. It was the robin's favorite time of year, she felt a tiny thrill of joy on her stomach. A gentle wind rustled over the world, the robin spread her wings. Taking a deep breath, the robin launched herself into the air.

Eyes wide open, with her friends around her, she sang.

* * *

><p><em>To the beautiful people who have been so amazing to me, I think you will be able to pick out who you are. Know that I love each and every one of you, especially a few of you, you know who you are :)<em>

_I want you all to know that your kind words have really helped me through probably what has been the darkest time in my life and even though I have never actually seen any of your faces, I will never forget you._

_With the post of this story, you may have noticed that a few of my stories have been removed and one has been renamed. I want my page to be a place of love and positivity. BUT I want everyone to know that I am NOT ashamed of any of my stories, I knew what I was doing and I had my own reasons for choosing to do so. Please respect my decisions and I will return the favor._

_Thank you and always know that you are loved,_

_JSparks, also known as Robyn ;)_

"_An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind."_


End file.
